A man attending the opening reception of the exhibition “Ai Weiwei: Who Am I?” at the Palazzo Fava in Bologna, Italy, intentionally destroyed a work by the Chinese dissident artist on September 20. CCTV footage posted to Instagram by Ai Weiwei shows the man, identified as Czech national Vaclav Pisvejc, approaching the artist’s blue-and-white Porcelain Cube (2009) and pushing it off its platform, causing it to shatter on the floor. Pisvejc, holding a large share of the porcelain, was quickly subdued by security and detained until police arrived.

This act of vandalism is reminiscent of Ai Weiwei’s 1995 work, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, which depicts the artist smashing a 2,000-year-old artifact. However, it is unclear if Pisvejc intended this parallel. Known for his disruptive behavior, Pisvejc has a history of causing disturbances at art events in Florence, including defacing a Urs Fischer sculpture and attacking Marina Abramović.

The shattered fragments of the Porcelain Cube have been removed, and a photograph of the work will be displayed for the remainder of the exhibition, which runs through May 4, 2025. Pisvejc has been charged with “destruction, dispersion, deterioration, defacement, soiling, and illicit use of cultural or landscape assets”. “I hope for his sake that he didn’t hurt himself on the pieces of porcelain,” Ai Weiwei commented.

Sayart / ReaA JUNG queen7203@gmail.com